Baylor Law Team Wins Texas Administrative Law Competition

The winning Baylor Law School team with judges from the Austin Court of Appeals who judged the 2008 Mack Kidd Moot Court Competition in Austin. (L to R) Justice Alan Waldrop, Stephen Pocsik, Justice David Puryear, Melanie Fry and Justice Bob Pemberton.

The Baylor Law School team of Stephen Pocsik and Melanie Fry won first place at the 2008 Mack Kidd Moot Court Competition in Austin the first weekend in October. This is the third straight year that a Baylor team has won the competition and the sixth time in 11 years.

Additionally, Pocsik was named Best Speaker and Fry was named the fourth Best Speaker.

"The team's success again demonstrates the talents our students and faculty in interscholastic moot court competition," said Brad Toben, dean of Baylor Law School. "Advocacy skills training is a front and center endeavor at Baylor Law School. The payoff for our focused efforts is always apparent in the successes of our students in competition, as well as in the notable successes of our alumni in the trial and appellate arenas."

Twelve teams from Texas law schools participated in the tournament, which is sponsored by the Administrative and Public Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. During the finals, teams were judged by three judges from the Austin Court of Appeals. This year's case involved sanctions by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

"This is a gratifying win," said Baylor coach Kathy Serr, also a part-time lecturer in law. "The judges for this tournament practice administrative law and they know this area backwards and forwards. To win, our students also have to know the essentials of administrative law."

Serr said Baylor Law School was well represented by two additional teams of Lauren Braddy and Cassie Hoyer and Patrick Scott and Amy Foster.

"The hard work and dedication of all the teams was instrumental to the successful outcome at the tournament," she added.